Cornell UnWersity Library HA 37.U41915 The story of the census 1790-19^^^^^^^ 3 1924 013 899 327 Cornell University Library The original of tiiis book is in the Cornell University Library. There are no known copyright restrictions in the United States on the use of the text. http://www.archive.org/details/cu31924013899327 DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE THE STORY OF THE CENSUS :: :: 1790-1915 BUREAU OF THE CENSUS ^(^/33^ /y^ The developments of statistics are causing- history to be rewritten. Till recently, the historian studied nations in the aggregate, and gave us only the story of princes, dynasties, sieges, and battles. Of the people themselves — the great social body, with life, growth, forces, elements, and laws of its own — he told us nothing. Now, statistical inquiry leads him into hovels, homes, workshops, mines, fields, prisons, hospitals, and all other places where human nature displays its weakness and its strength. In these explorations he dis- covers the seeds of national growth and decay, and thus becomes the prophet of his generation. The chief instrument of American statistics is the census, which should accomplish a twofold object. It should serve the country, by making a full and accurate exhibit of the elements of national life and strength; and it should serve the science of statistics by so exhibiting general results that they may be compared with similar data obtained by other nations. The census is indis- pensable to modern statesmanship. — James A. Garfield. DEPARTMENT OF COMMERCE. Secretary of Commerce, WILLIAM COX REDFIELD. BUREAU OF THE CENSUS. Director, WILLIAM J. HARRIS. Chief CUrk, William L. Austin. HEADS OF CENSUS OFFICE, 1840-1915. Census of 1840. William A. Weaver, of Virginia. Superintending Clerk (1840-1842). Census of 18S0. Joseph C. G. Kennedy, of Pennsylvania. Superintendent (1850-1853). James B. DE Bow, of Louisiana, Superintendent (1853-54). Census of 1860. Joseph C. G. Kennedy, of Pennsylvania, Superintendent. Census of 1870. Francis A. Walker, of Massachusetts, Superintendent. Census of 1880. Francis A. Walker, of Massachusetts, Superintendent (1879-1881). Charles W. SeaTon, of New York, Superintendent (1881-1885). Census of 1890. Robert P. Porter, of New York, Superintendent (1889-1893). Carroll D. Wright, of Massachusetts, Commissioner of Labor In charge (1893-1897). Census of 1900. William R. Merriam, of Minnesota, Director (1899-1902). Permanent Census Office. William R. Merriam, of Minnesota, Director, 1902-1903. S. N. D. North, of Massachusetts, Director, 1903-1909. E. Dana Durand, of California, Director, 1909-1913. William J. Harris, of Georgia, Director, July i, 1913-. CONTENTS. Page. Constitutional Provision for Census S The First Census 5 Maimer of taking First Census 6 Recent publication of First Census returns in full 7 Conditions under which First Census was taken 8 The Second Census ^° The Third Census ^° First collection of industrial statistics lo The Fourth Census i° First statistics of occupations ^ i The Fifth Census ii First statistics of the deaf and blind n The Sixth Census " First statistics of ilhteracy, insane and idiotic, mining, and agriculture. . n The Seventh Census 12 First mortality and social statistics 12 The Eighth Census 14 The Ninth Census 14 Introduction of machine tabulation 14 The Tenth Census 14 Change in method of enumeration 14 The Eleventh Census 15 Introduction of electric tabulation 16 The Twelfth Census 16 Restriction of scope 16 The Thirteenth Census 16 Abstract of the Thirteenth Census 17 Scheme of presentation of Thirteenth Census reports iS Population 19 Agriculture 19 Manufactures 19 Mines and quarries 20 The field work 20 Schedules 20 Fraudulent returns 23 Establishment of Permanent Census Bureau 23 Scope of the Bureau's work. 25 Wealth, debt, and taxation 25 Religious bodies 26 Fisheries 26 Dependent, defective, and delinquent classes 26 Manufactures and electrical industries 27 Official register 27 Mortality 27 Statistics of cities 28 Tobacco 28 Cotton 29 Special inquiries ,0 Information furnished by correspondence ,1 Organization of the Bureau ^ r Increased efficiency due to permanent organization 33 ilECHANicAL Tabulation ^^ The card system _, Cost of Conducting the Census Bureau ,4 Value of Census Statistics ,5 The story of the Census THE Bureau of the Census, of the Department of Commerce, now the greatest statistical office in the world, represents the outgrowth and development of a century and a. quarter of periodical, and in recent years continuous, statistical inquiry on the part of the Federal Government. Less than a decade after the American colonies had achieved their independence, and within a year from the date of the inau- guration of President Washington and the assembling of the First Congress of the United States, there was begun the first enumera- tion of the population of this country. The Constitutional re- quirement of a decennial census is foimd in Article I, section 3, which reads, in part: Representatives and direct taxes shall be apportioned among the several States which may be included within this Union according to their respective numbers, which shall be determined by adding to the whole number of free persons, including those bound to service for a term of years, and ex- cluding Indians not taxed, three-fifths of all other persons. The actual enumeration shall be made within three years after the first meeting of the Congress of the United States and within every subsequent term of ten years, in such man- ner as they shall by law direct. Thus the United States was the first among the nations to make Constitutional or legal provision for a regular periodical enumera- tion of its inhabitants. The First Census, taken in 1790, related solely to population, and its scope, although very limited, was somewhat greater than that required by the Constitutional provision just quoted. The name of the head of each family was taken, together with the total number of persons in the family, classified as free or slave. The free persons were frurther classified as white or other, the free whites as male or female, and the free white males as 16 or over, or under 16. Subsequently from time to time the field covered by the census has been still further enlarged, until it now embraces detailed inquiries along sixteen distinct lines (pp. 18-20, 25-29), made at decennial, quinquennial, biennial, annual, and semiannual in- tervals, in addition to various special inquiries ordered by the President or by Congress. J Constitutional provision for census. The First Census. THE STORY O F THE CENSUS Manner ol taking First Census. The First Census was taken under the supervision of the United States marshals, of whom there were seventeen at that time; the actual work of enumeration was performed by marshals ' assistants, of whom there were about 650. The enumeration began on the first Monday in August, 1790, and according to law should have been completed in nine months. Double this time elapsed, how- ever, before the returns were all in. The returns were made by RETURN WHOLE NUMBER OF PERSONS SEVERAL DISTRICTS ^nittt i^tates. AGCOaOIHO T* ' .in .ier prnUTing far tfu rtamerallon of the Inhahitmtt of tkt Uttiud Stattti" Ftued March the firat, leventeen hundred and ninet^-ane. C 3 ) SCSEDVLE of the whole numSer of PERSONS ■a/ithln (ft? meral Diitrktiof the United Slata, taien according to " jin Jet providing for the Enumeration of the Inhabitant! oft/fa Vailed Stalea /' failed Mircfi tf(e Ut, 1 790. it^Z '' f'-s ~ SISTRICTSi « 1: m in ■3-- i{ StiTU. TOUU m r- < ' V.imanr . aiMs as,32a 40.505 355 16 70.1M 5,463 sn,T8ri IfiOlS 32 6SS .94f e0 523 5*403 Ilr.44S 1S3 3S0 4,614 91,334 r:.& 83.a8r 1M,94B S06.3G3 101 )95 S1S.046 i4o,no *.9ra «8BD ■25.739 39S 39 3M Bf.548 •rui.i, 1 3.eM.8a5 1 1 k s i -, '1 Bl 1 " S.Wia.T(iillBrr tan 10.377 15,365 3G1 3.417. S^«l WAIHIHCTOV CITTI FIUNTXD BY WILLIAM DUAHE. Truly etatedfrom the original retuma depaiittd in tbtoffse of "the Secretary of State. TH; JEFFERSON. OetDher24thjir91. iBQo *7Miritiimw»iiDifigntilbflbeinuIba)ibni wu cD"' "" ^'•ti'^1' by Hon. William R. Merriam, former Director of the Census. pubUshed in the Century Magazine for April 1903 THE STORY OF THE CENSUS day's journey was required to cover a distance now traveled in an hour. Mail service was irregular, expensive, and uncertain. The boundaries of towns and other subdivisions of counties, and often of the counties themselves, were in many cases unde- fined. Sectional jealousy and distrust of the newly established Federal Government existed in considerable degree. The inhab- itants, to whom an enumeration was a totally new idea, surmised GROWTH OF URBAN AND RURAI, POPULATION: 1790-1910. (See also diagram, p. 34, and table, p. 35.) ^^gl CITIES WITH 30,000 OR MORE POPULATION T^^A CITIES WITH 8.000 TO 30,000 POPULATION Y////A POPULATION OUTSIDE SUGH CITIES that an increase of taxation might result, and were, therefore, in some cases reluctant to impart the information called for. More- over, in some quarters there was much opposition to the census, based on the Old Testament account of the disagreeable conse- quences resulting from the enumeration of the children of Israel. Small wonder, then, that the first enumeration was not com- Eighteen months pleted in some parts of the country until eighteen months had complete " elapsed from the date of its commencement, although under enumeration, present conditions a decennial enumeration, of vastly greater scope than that of 1790, can be practically finished, except for the outlying possessions, in only a month. Even in 1910, however, the difficulties encountered by census enumerators in certain regions were very great. In Alaska, for example, enu- merators traveled across country with dog teams and along the coast in "bidarkies' ' (three-holed skin boats). One enumerator reported having crossed and recrossed the Arctic Circle, traveling at each crossing above the timber line, in a temperature The Second Census. THE STORY OF THE CENSUS which at no time during his journey rose above 30 degrees below zero. The census of 1800 was taken and published in substantially the same manner as that of 1790. The returns, however, were made by the marshals to the Secretary of State instead of to the President. The statistics obtained were of the same general GAINFUL OCCUPATIONS OF THE POPULATION IN 1910 (p. 19). itt ao 30 40 ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ EXTBACTIOHOF MINERALS ^ ^ y/Miam/. ^ 2^ ^ manufacturing and mechanical industries w/Mz/M/z/ WMyM'/Amim^. ■mmm'^^m'^^'^m.'^'m.'^ ^^^^^^^ 'l^////^(MM^///y\ mll(M'\A'A'>f'/lk TRANSPORTATION TRADE ^ AGRICULTURE. FORESTRY. AND ANIMAL HUSBANDRY PUBLIC SERVICE (NOT ELSEWHERE CLASSIFIED PROFESSIONAL SERVICE DOMESTIC AND PERSONAL SERVICE CLERICAL OCCUPATIONS The Third Census. First collection of industrial statistics. The Fourth Census. scope as those of the census of 1790, but the age classifications were more detailed. The report was printed in a folio volume of 74 pages. The census of 1810, so far as it related to population, differed very little from its predecessors, and the schedule inquiries called for information of exactly the same character as that called for in 1800. At this census, however, there was attempted for the first time a collection of industrial statistics, the work being done by the marshals' assistants in connection with the enumeration of the population. The kinds, quantities, and values of manufactured goods were shown for each State and Territory, and a few brief and fragmentary statistics relating to the products of quarries were included. The data gathered at this inquiry were inaccu- rate and far from complete, but were nevertheless of value as furnishing a general indication of the extent and nature of the manufacturing industries of the country. The population returns were printed in a folio volume of 180 pages, and those relating to manufactures filled a quarto volume of 289 pages. The census of 1820 covered the subjectsof population and manu- factures m somewhat greater detail than the preceding one. At THE STORY OF THE CENSUS this census there were ascertained for the first time the numbers engaged in agriculture, commerce, and manufactures. A few clerks were employed in the handling and preparation of the retimis for publication. There is no record of the number, but the amount paid for their services was $925. The population returns occupied a folio volume of 160 pages, and the manufac- tures report, also of folio size, contained 128 pages. The census of 1830 related solely to population, but its scope with reference to this subject was materially extended. The first collection of statistics concerning the deaf and dumb and the blind was made at the census of INSANE ™ HOSPIXAI.S: 1910 (p.26). ^^^^ ^^ ^.^ ^^^^^ ^^^^ ^^ begun the use of printed sched- ules. At former enumerations the marshals 'assistants had used such paper as they happened to have, ruling it, writing in the headings, and binding the sheets together themselves. The adop- tion of uniform printed schedules constituted a distinct advance in the science of census taking. At this census a force of 43 clerks was employed in compilation and tabulation. The returns were printed in a folio volume of 163 pages. An abstract containing 51 quarto pages was also published. At the census of 1840 the range of the inquiry was still further broadened. It now covered the subjects of population, including school attendance, illiteracy, occupations, the deaf and dumb, the blind, and the insane and idiotic; manufactures; mines and quarries; and agriculture. The results of the latter inquiry showed the quantity or value of the principal products, the numbers of live stock on hand, and the estimated value of poultry on hand. The reports were published in four volumes, two of folio and two of quarto size, containing a total of 1,465 pages. A superintending clerk was employed who had immediate charge of the clerical force engaged in the verification, correction, and compilation of the returns. So far as the records show, this was the first official, under the Secretary of State, to be specifically First statistics of occupations. ADULT POPUUTION INSANE IN HOSPITALS IBT.T The Fifth Census. First statistics ol the deaf and blind. The Sixth Census. First statistics of illiteracy, insane and idiotic, mining, and agriculture. THE STORY OF THE CENSUS The Seventh Census. designated as the head of the Census Office. In 1850 a superr intending clerk was again employed, and at subsequent censuses the official in charge was known as the Superintendent of the Census, until the census of 1900, when his designation was changed to Director of the Census. The census of 1840 marks the inauguration of a genuine effort to extend the scope of the decennial enumeration so as to make it the instrument for ascertaining the vital facts with reference to the composition and characteristics of the population and the industrial development of the country. The census of 1850, taken under the authority of a law drawn with much more care and deliberation than any former census AVERAGE SIZE OP FARMS AND AVERAGE VALUE OF LAND AND BUILDINGS PER ACRE (p. 35). First mortality and social statistics. toio 1900 1890 1860 3 S ACRES 100 ISO 30 1 '" ■ " I860 1850 1 1 1 n ^ — T 1910 1900 1800 reso 1870 ^^ inrn ^^^ act, constitutes the beginning of scientific census taking in this country. By the terms of an act passed in 1849, creating the Department of the Interior, supervisory and appellate authority over the Census Office was transferred from the Secretary of State to the Secretary of the Interior. At this census six separate schedules were carried by the marshals' assistants. These related, respectively, to (i) free inhabitants, (2) slave inhabitants, (3) mortality, (4) products of agriculture, (5) products of industry, and (6) social statistics. The inquiries as to free and slave inhabitants were more extended in scope than those of preceding censuses, and much greater care was exercised to insure approximate accuracy of the returns. The several inquiries concerning the free population were made with respect to each person enumerated, whereas at former censuses a return had been made merely as to the number of persons in each of the various classes in each family, in connection with the name of the head of tbe family; and for the first time detailed individual data were obtained with respect to each slave enumerated. THE STORY OF THE CENSUS The statistics relating to mortality showed the number of deaths occurring during the year, classified according to cause, sex, age, nativity, season of the year, duration of illness, occupa- tion, color, and whether free or slave. The inquiry as to agriculture was extended so as to cover, in addition to the classes of data obtained at the census of 1840, acreage of farms, value of farms and implements, and value of animals slaughtered. The schedule relating to products of industry called for infor- mation as to number of manufacturing establishments, capital. Extension of agricultural inquiry. VALUE OF ALL FARM CROPS: 1909 (p. 19). value of materials, employees, wages, value of products, per cent of profit, and home manufactures, as well as data relating to certain individual industries. With respect to mines and quarries, statistics as to number of establishments, capital, employees, wages, and kind and value of products were obtained. The social-statistics schedule called for information as to valuation of estate; annual taxes; colleges, academies, and schools; seasons and crops; libraries; newspapers and periodicals; churches; pauperism; crime; and wages. The reports relating to poptdation, illiteracy, school attendance, schools, libraries, churches, newspapers and periodicals, and agriculture were presented in a quarto volume of 1,158 pages. Separate reports, in octavo form, related to mortality and raanu- 13 THE STORY OF THE CENSUS The Eighth Census. The Ninth Census. Introduction of machine tabulation. The Tenth Census. Change in method of enumeration. factures, and a compendium and an abstract, also of octavo size, were issued. The total number of pages in the five volumes was 2,165. Explanatory and introductory text was included for the first time. This census may, therefore, be called the first "modem census" of the United States, although it differed in many important respects from those taken in recent years. The census of i860 followed the same general lines as that of 1850, the only changes being a few slight amplifications of certain of the inquiries. A preliminary report, of octavo size, was printed, and the final reports were contained in four quarto volumes, one relating to population, one to agriculture, one to manufactures, and one to mortality and miscellaneous statistics. The five volumes contained an aggregate of 3,189 pages. The census of 1870 was similar in general scope to those of 1850 and i860, but a number of extensions and modifications were made for the purpose of increasing the accuracy and usefulness of the statistics. One of the most noteworthy features of this census was the introduction of machine tabulation in the latter part of 1872 (see p. 33). Another innovation was the employment of maps, charts, and diagrams as a means of presenting graphically the more significant facts ascertained by the enumeration. These were published in a separate volume called the Statistical Atlas of the United States. The reports were issued in five volumes, including the Statis- tical Atlas and a. Compendium, and contained a total of 3,473 pages. The census of 1880 was a vast and complex undertaking which embodied a marked and radical advance in American census taking. The most important and effective change made was in the method of enumeration. From 1790 to 1870 the actual work of gathering the statistics had been performed by assistants to United States marshals, under the supervision of the marshals themselves, and the enumerations had varied in length from ten to eighteen months. In 1880 there was adopted the plan, which has been followed at all subsequent censuses, of having this work done by a large body of enumerators imder the direc- tion of supervisors. Both supervisors and enumerators are especially appointed for the work of the enumeration and hold office only tmtil it is completed. The great gain in efficiency and promptness resulting from this change may be seen by a comparison of the respective periods of time required to complete ^4 THE STORY OF THE CENSUS Arsa in Farms and Not rw Farms 1910 (p. 19). the inquiries of 1870 and 1880. In the earlier year the enumera- tion, which was made by 75 marshals and their 6,530 assistants, lasted fifteen months in some parts of the country, whereas in 1880 the 150 supervisors and 31,382 enumerators finished their task in one month. To compile the returns and prepare them for publication an office force was employed which at its maximum numbered 1,495, nearly three and one-half times as large as that employed at the census of 1870. The general scope of the in- quiry was somewhat extended, and the subjects were covered in much greater detail than at prior censuses. The collection of the statistics of manufactures was in some localities taken out of the hands of the general enumerators £tnd given to special agents. In addition, statistics relating to certain industries were gathered throughout the country and were printed in a series of special reports or monographs, the work in respect to each industry being done under the direction of an expert. Where official registration of deaths was maintained, the mortality schedules were withdrawn from the general enumerators and the statistics obtained by correspondence. The data relating to certain other subjects were also obtained by expert special agents or by correspondence. The tallying machine first used dturing the latter part of the Ninth Census period was again employed at the census of 1880, and effected a very material saving in the work of tabulation. The reports of the Tenth Census, including the Compendium, were published in the form of 23 quarto and 2 octavo volumes. The total number of pages was 21,458 — more than six times the number in the report for 1870. The statistical field covered by the census of 1890 was extended somewhat, though not greatly, as compared with that from which the data of 1880 were gathered; and the later census was also characterized by some little increase of detail in the pres- entation of the results. More speedy enumeration. The Eleventh Census. 15 THE STORY OF THE CENSUS Introduction of electric tabulation. The Twelfth Census. Restriction of scope. The Thirteenth Census. The distinguishing feature of this census was the use of the electric tabulating machine (see p. 34), without which it would have been impossible to complete the work in any reasonable time. The total number of pages in the 32 quarto, i folio, and i octavo volumes of the reports, including the Compendium, Statistical Atlas, and Abstract, was 26,408. The census of 1900 represented in many respects a marked advance as compared with its predecessors. So vast and com- plicated had the task become, not only because of the growth of the country's population and industries, but also by reason of the enormous increase of the detail involved in the scheme of presentation of the data gathered, that the problem of organiza- tion was now paramount, superseding that of tabulation, which to a large extent had been solved by the use of the electric tabu- lating machine introduced at the preceding census. Under the law governing the Twelfth Census the office was organized sub- stantially as at present (see p. 31), and the efficiency of this organization was demonstrated by the increased accuracy of the results and the promptness with which they were published. The scope of the census was by law restricted to the four subjects of population, mortality, agriculture, and manufactures, so that it covered a materially narrower field than did the Tenth and Eleventh Censuses. Provision was made, however, for the collection, after the completion of the decennial work, of sta- tistics relating to various special lines of inquiry. By reason of the narrowing of the scope of the Twelfth Census to the four subjects named, the total number of pages contained in the 10 quarto and i octavo volumes of its reports, including the Abstract, was kept down to only 10,925 — a trifle more than two-fifths of the number in the reports of the preceding census, although the statistics were presented with even greater detail. The census of igio was a notable one. It was the first to be taken by the permanent Census Bureau, which had been estab- lished in 1902 (see p. 23); and it differed from its predecessors in two other important features: First, in the method by which appointments of temporary clerks were made; and, second, in the manner in which the information obtained by it was com- piled and presented to the public. At prior censuses clerical positions had been filled upon the recommendations of Senators and Representatives, and at the 16 THE STORY OF THE CENSUS Elements of the Population: 1910. Abstract of the Thirteenth Census. more recent censuses the appointments of the candidates named had been contingent upon their passing noncompetitive exami- nations. At the Thirteenth Census, however, positions on the Clerical positions temporary clerical force were filled through open competitive dvU-sen^M*' civil-service examinations held throughout the country by the examinations. United States Civil Service Commission. The method of presenting the results of the Thirteenth Census constituted a new and in some respects a radical departure from former practice. The most important change was with respect to the Abstract. At prior censuses this had been a small octavo volume issued after the publication of the complete reports and con- taining no text discussion and very few percentages, averages, or comparative sta- tistics for earlier censuses. The Abstract of the Thir- teenth Census is a quarto volume of 569 pages, issued in 53 editions, one without supplement and each of the others containing a supplement for some one State or for the District of Columbia, Alaska, Hawaii, or Porto Rico. It presents the principal statistics gathered at the census of 1910, covering the subjects of population, agriculture, manufactures, and mining. It contains a text discussion and analysis of the data, many dia- grams and maps, and numerous tables which include, for com- parison, the statistics of prior censuses, and gives a great number of averages and percentages without which it would be difficult or impossible to grasp the significance of the data presented. The supplement gives complete and detailed statistics for the State to which it relates. The Abstract was prepared with the idea of making it possible to supply, in one volume, condensed but comprehensive statis- tics relating to the country as a whole, together with complete and detailed information regarding a particular State, and thus to a great extent it took the place of the complete reports pub- lished at previous censuses. With the belief that this was, for 17 THE STORY OF THE CENSUS Scheme of presentation of Thirteenth Census reports. the general public, the most important volume to be issued in connection with the Thirteenth Census, it was given precedence and right of way over the main reports, and consequently, instead of being one of the last volumes to appear, as had been the case at former censuses, it was the first. There were various other differences between the scheme of presentation of the results of the Thirteenth Census and that VALUE OF MANUFACTURED PRODUCTS IN 1909— PERCENTAGES (p. 35). formerly employed. These differences need not be discussed in this pamphlet; but a brief description of the Thirteenth Census publications themselves, and of their relationships to one another, may be of interest. Subjects covered. The Thirteenth Census covered the subjects of population (including occupations), agriculture, manufactures, and mines and quarries, and its geographic scope comprised continental United States, Alaska, Hawaii, and Porto Rico. The statistics which were first ready for publication, and especially those which were in greatest demand (such, for example, as the aggre- gate population of individual cities and States, and of the United States as a whole), were first given out in the form of press tS THE STORY O F THE CENSUS Value op Mineral Products in 1909 — Percentages (p. 35). announcements. Later they were presented in greater detail in the form of ofBcial bulletins, still later in Uie Abstract with its supplements, and ultimately in the final reports. In addi- tion, certain portions of the Abstract and of the final reports were reprinted as separate bulletins, each relating to a particular branch or phase of some one of the inquiries. The greater part of the material contained in the census reports was thus placed before the public in bulletin form and in the Abstract with its State supplements, and a large partof it was published in this manner from six months to a year or more in advance of the issuance of the final' reports. The population reports Population, filled four quarto volumes having a total of 4,373 pages. Volume I is a general report and analysis for the country as a whole. Volumes II and III contain detailed statis- tics for individual States, counties, cities, and towns. Volume IV relates to occu- pations. The reports present statistics in regard to such details as sex, age, marital condition, birthplace, mother tongue, school attend- ance, illiteracy, ownership of homes, etc. With reference to occu- pations, the numbers engaged in nearly 5,000 individual vocations are shown. Volumes V, VI, and VII, with a total of 2,917 pages, relate to Agriculture, agriculttu'e. Volume V is a general report and analysis, for the United States as a whole. Volumes VI and VII contain detailed statistics for individual States and counties. The data shown cover such matters as acreage, value, tenure, mortgages, size of farms, live stock, crops, irrigation, etc. Volumes VIII, IX, and X, which comprise an aggregate of 3,228 Manufactures, pages, are devoted to the subject of manufactures. Volume VIII is a general report and analysis, for the country as a whole. Volume IX presents detailed reports for the individual States and for principal cities. Volume X contains reports on 52 individual 19 THE STORY OF THE CENSUS Mines and quarries. The field work. Schedules. industries, together with general statistics of manufactures for thirteen leading "metropolitan districts." The figures given relate to such subjects as number of establish- ments, persons engaged, capital, salaries and wages, expenses, hours of labor, products, etc. Volume XI, of 369 pages, covers the subject of mines and quarries. It presents data as to geographic distribution, number of enterprises, persons engaged, salaries and wages, hours of labor, products, expenses, capital, etc. The total number of pages in the twelve quarto (iiK ^Y 9 inches) volumes of the Thirteenth Census reports, including the Abstract, is 11,456. A few of the fundamental data presented in these reports are given in the tables on page 35. The statistics of agriculture were collected by the population enumerators, but those relating to manufactures and to mines and quarries were gathered by special agents appointed solely for this work. The enumerators employed to gather data as to population and agriculture numbered 70,286 — more than the combined popula- tion of New York and Philadelphia in 1790, and more than the total able-bodied adult population of many an important and thriving city of to-day. To superintend the work of tliese enu- merators 329 supervisors of census were employed. These super- visors were in most cases appointed, as at preceding censuses, upon the recommendation of the Members of Congress in whose districts the respective supervisors' districts were located. The enumerators were appointed upon the recommendation of the supervisors. Each candidate was required to fill out a test schedule in order to demonstrate his ability to do the work required of him. The collection of the statistics of manufactures and of mines and quarries required the services of 1,087 special agents. The enumeration of the population in cities and towns lasted fifteen days. In the rural districts the population and agricul- tural enumerations combined were completed in about thirty days. The length of time required to collect the statistics of manufactures and of mines and quarries varied considerably in different parts of the country, but the average was about one hundred days. The population schedule carried 32 inquiries and was pro- vided with spaces for the names and data relating to 100 persons. The general agricultural schedule carried 59 inquiries, the sub- THE STORY OF THE CENSUS divisions of which numbered 560. agricultural schedules were used. Cotton Produchon— Percentage of 1913 Crop Grown in Each Country (p. 20). In addition, five special One general schedule was returned for each farm, and when necessary a special schedule was also employed. The general manufacttures schedule and the gen- eral schedule for mines and quarries carried 50 inquiries each. In addition, 63 special schedules were used for manufactures and 29 for mines and quarries. A general schedule was returned for each man- ufacturing establish- ment and each mine or quarry, together with a special schedule when necessary. The population schedules filled and returned at the Thir- teenth Census num- bered approximately 1,050,000; the agricul- tural schedules, 8,590,000; the manu- factures schedules, 425,000; and the mines and quarries sched- ules, 45,000. These figures will serve to give the reader a faint idea of the magnitude of the task of taking a de- cennial census of the United States. The recruiting, organization, and training of the army of enu- merators — a body fairly comparable, in respect to numbers, with the standing army of the United States — ^is perhaps the most Cotton Consumption — Percentage Consumed IN Each Country During Year Ended August 31, 1913 (p. 30). Number of schedules returned. THE STORY OF THE CENSUS GROWTH OF THE DECENNIAL CENSUS: 1790-1910. CENSUS YHAR. Number of marshals or super- visors. Number of assistant marshals or enumerators- Legal period for enu- meration, excluding extensions. (Months) Time actually consumed in complete enumera- tion. (Months) 1790 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850 i860 1870 1880 1890 igoo 1910 Marshals. 17 24 30 31 36 41 45 64 75 Supervisors. 150 175 300 329 Asst.-marshals. 0650 0900 o 1, 100 1,188 1,519 2, 167 3>23i 4»4I7 6,530 Enumerators. 31,382 46, S04 52,871 70, 286 18.0 16.5 10. o iS-o X4.0 20. s I.O z. o CENSUS YEAS. Maximum size of office force. Total number of pages in published reports. Total cost. Cost per capita. 1790 1800 1810 1820 1830 1840 1850 i860 1870 1880 1S90 1900 1910 S6 74 469 2S8 214 1.465 2,165 3,189 3.473 21.458 26,408 / 10, 925 / II, 456 $44, 66, 178, 208, 378. 833. 1.423. 1,969. 3.421, 5. 790, II.S47, 11,854. IS. 968, 377.28 109.04 444.67 525- 99 545- 13 370.95 3 SO. 75 376.99 198. 33 678. 40 127. 13 817.91 665. 03 $0.0112 o. 0124 o. 0246 0.0216 o. 0294 0.0488 o. 0613 o. 0626 o. 0877 o. 1148 o. 1833 o. 1550 o. 1736 ^Estimated; records destroyed by fire. b Unknown. cNot including time spent in making investigations and recounts in certain towns and aties where fraudulent enumeration had been detected. ^ No office force employed. 'Amount expended for clerk hire, $925. /The scope of the deceimial censuses of 1900 and 1910 was greatly restricted as compared with that of the censuses of 1880 and 1890; but practically all of the subjects covered at the earlier inquiries, as well as some which have been taken up more recently, are now handled either at a decennial census or at sotne time m the course of the period intervening between deceimial censuses. THE STORY OF THE CENSUS formidable of the many difficult features of the undertaking. The pay of enumerators is not large and the duration of their employment is short,, so that, especially in urban communities, those who are best qualified to do the work have little incentive, other than that furnished by local pride, totakeitup. Dishonest enumerators may sometimes yield to the temptation to increase their pay (which in most cases is based wholly or in part on the number of names turned in by them) by returning fictitious names or names of persons not resident in their districts. MARRIAGES AND DIVORCES (p. 30). HU 2 NDREDS C F THOUS V ^ND8 B jeos •""^ rgoi zz^a iBse 222, ISSI zza ias7 za viut/wii bivoRces But the "padding" of returns from motives of personal gain Fraudulent has been a less serious obstacle to accurate census taking than that resulting from organized attempts on the part of certain cities and towns to inflate their population figures. The voice of local business interests — disguised as that of local patriotism — ^has sometimes called more loudly to the supervisor or the enumerator than has the voice of honor, duty, or fidelity to oath of office. After the census of 1910, 69 indictments were brought against enumerators and others believed to be responsible for the falsity of the returns in 14 cities and towns. In 13 cases the defendants were sentenced to imprisonment and the payment of fines, and in 40 cases fines alone were imposed. The jail sen- tences ranged from one day to six months, and the fines from $50 to $1,500. The number of officials, clerks, and others employed in the Census Bureau at Washington in the compilation and tabulation of the Thirteenth Census retiu^s rose at one time to 3,738— more than the number of marshals' assistants employed to make the enumeration throughout the country at any census prior to i860. Prior to 1900 the Census Office established for the taking of each Establishment decennial census and the compilation and publication of its of permanent results had been a temporary institution, going practically out -^^^ of existence at the conclusion of its work. On July i , 1902 , under 23 THE STORY OF THE CENSUS Nucleus of trained employees needed. Improvement of decennial census not the only object. authority of an act of Congress passed in March of the same year, the Census Office became a permanent branch of the Depart- ment of the Interior, under the name Bureau of the Census. A year later it was transferred to the newly created Department of Commerce and Labor, and since March 4, 1913, it has been a bureau of the Department of Commerce. While one of the reasons for the creation of the permanent Census Bureau was the need of a nucleus of trained employees around which to organize Church Affiliations op the Popu- lation: 1906 (p. 26). the large force necessary for the taking of a decennial census, this need was not the only justification — nor, for that matter, the leading one — for the existence of a permanent bureau. The establishment of the office on a permanent foot- ing was the achievement of more than half a century of agitation, beginning in 1844, when a select committee of the House of Representa- tives, which had had under consideration a memorial on the errors of the census of 1840, presented by a committee of the American Statistical Association, reported that it knew of no way of avoiding such errors in future censuses "so easy and prac- ticable as by the establishment of a Bureau of Statistics." In the decades following various committees, officials, superintend- ents of the census, and statistical organizations repeatedly lu-ged upon Congress the advisability of making the office permanent. Improvement of the decennial census was the motive chiefly in evidence in all this agitation, and even at the present time is commonly thought of as constituting the chief advantage to be gained through the existence of a permanent bureau. From the first, however, those advocating the establishment of such a bureau have had other considerations in mind as well. In fact, the House committee already referred to recommended, in its reports for 1844 and 1845, the establishment of a bureau which not only should take the decennial census, but should 24 THE STORY OF THE CENSUS coordinate the statistical work of all the departments of the Federal Government, and whose publications should include statistics relating to foreign countries. These efforts on the part of statisticians, administrative offi- The permanent cials, and legislators finally resulted in the passage, in March, <^^°="=*'='- 1902, of the permanent census act, under the terms of which the Census Bureau was made a permanent instead of a temporary- office. The various special lines of inquiry already mentioned COTTON-PRODUCING AREA OF THE UNITED STATES IN 1913, AND CENTER OF PRODUCTION, 1859 TO 1913 (p. 30) . as having been postponed until after the completion of the Twelfth Census work were assigned to the permanent Bureau; and from time to time other duties have been devolved upon it by acts and resolutions of Congress or by direction of the President or the Secretary of Commerce. As a restdt of this development, the Census Bureau not only conducts the comprehensive decennial censuses of population, agricultxue, manufactures, and mines and quarries, already described, but also carries on numerous other inquiries at inter- vals varying in length from ten years to less than two weeks. The principal inquiries of this character are the following: Decennial census of wealth, debt, and taxation. — ^The most recent inquiry upon this subject, which related to the year 1913, showed Scope of the Bureau's work. Wealth, debt, and taxation. 25 THE STORY O F THE CENSUS the total assessed valuation of all property subject to ad valorem taxation in the United States to be approximately $69,453 ,000,000. Religious bodies. Decennial census of religious bodies. — The last enumeration of religious bodies, which related to the year igo6, showed a total of nearly 33,000,000 communicants or members, of whom 20,000,000 GENERAL DEPARTMENTAL EXPENSES OE CITIES OF 30,000 AND OVER (p. 28). Mil y//x/^^smss::<:^mim 1 1 ! I Vj^y^^^^im^^^summ I EDUCATION lllllll POLJCr DEPARTMENT E22S9 GENERAL.GOVERNMENt HIGHWAYS CONSERVATION OF HEALTH FIR^ DEPARTMENT CHARITIES, HOSPITALS, CORRECTIONS ALL OTHER Dependent, defective, and delinquent classes. were Protestants and 12,000,000 Roman Catholics. (See diagram, p. 24.) The population of the United States in 1906 was approxi- mately 84,000,000. Decennial census of fisheries. — This inquiry is conducted by the Census Bureau in cooperation with the Bureau of Fisheries. The latest figures, which relate to the year 1908, show a total value of products amounting, in round numbers, to $54,000,000. Decennial census of dependent, defective, and delinquent classes. — This investigation covers benevolent institutions, insane and feeble-minded, prisoners and juvenile delinquents, paupers in almshouses, and the blind and the deaf and dumb. According to the last inquiry, made in 1910, inmates of benevolent institu- tions in that year numbered, in round figures, 409,000; insane in hospitals, 188,000 (see diagram, p. 11); feeble-minded in institu- tions, 21,000; prisoners and juvenile delinquents, 136,000; blind, 57,000; and deaf and dumb, 45,000. 26 THE STORY OF THE CENSUS Quinquennial censuses of manufactures, central electric light and Manuiactures power stations, street and electric railways, and telegraphs and tele- fndustrie™* phones. — The tables on pages 33 and 35 give a few of the basic statistics obtained at these inquiries. Biennial compilation of Official Register of the United States. — OfScial Register. In the latter half of each year in which a newly elected Congress GROWTH OP REGISTRATION AREA FOR MORTAI^ITY STATISTICS. IBM! ORrClNAL REGISTRATION STATES, CALENDAR YEAR IfiOO 9 STATES ADDED AND RETAINED, 1801 TO 1014. assembles, the Census Btxreau compiles the Official Register of the United States (Blue Book), in which are listed the names of and brief data relating to the civilian employees of the Federal Govern- ment. The total number of such persons on July i, 1913, was about 470,000. Annual collection of mortality statistics. — Each year statistics of Mortality, deaths are collected from States and cities having efficient regis- tration systems, and the annual collection of birth statistics will also be tmdertaken in the near future. The Bureau cooperates with the State authorities in securing the enactment of suitable registration legislation. The total number of deaths during 1913 in the registration area (see above map), which in that year had a population of over 63,000,000 — about two-thirds of the popula- tion of the entire United States— was nearly 891,000, the death rate being 14.J. per thousand. 27 THE STORY OF THE CENSUS statistics of cities. Annual collection of statistics of cities. — Statistics relating to cities of 30,000 and over are aJso collected each year. These statistics pertain chiefly to the financial operations of the munici- pal governments, but cover also the average daily school attend- ance and a few other nonfiscal matters of general interest. The EXPANSION IN SCOPE OF CENSUS INQUIRIES: 1790-1915. Tobacco. CENSUS OF^- t3 1 I a CLASSIFICATION OF INQUIRIES. 1 1 00 s M t 1 01 G § G G G G § 8 G § § G G G G i G § G G G G G G § § G G G G G •8 G G G G G G G G G § G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G G § Occupations Mortality Indians Deaf and dumb and blind Insane Paupers Prisoners Benevolent insti- tutions Manufactures Mines and quarries. . . Agriculture Irrigation Fisheries Forest products Wealth, debt, and taxation Transportation by water Telegraphs and tele- phones Religious bodies Cotton Insurance Cities Street and electric railways Central electric light and power plants. . . Federal employees... Tobacco stocks " The Census Office became a permanent bureau in 1902. aggregate governmental receipts of the cities of 30,000 and over, which in 1913 numbered igg, amounted during that year to nearly $1,862,000,000 (see also diagram, p. 26). Semiannual tobacco inquiry .—Every six months the Bureau gathers and publishes figures relating to stocks of leaf tobacco held by manufacturers and dealers. These statistics are sent out 28 THE STORY OF THE CENSUS on mailing cards to numerous growers, dealers, and manufactur- ers. The stocks of leaf tobacco in the hands of manufacturers and dealers on October i, 1914, the date of the last report, amounted to 1,108,000,000 pounds. THE CARD-PUNCHING MACHINE (p. 34). Periodical cotton statistics. — Data as to the production of cot- Cotton ton and cottonseed, and supply and distribution of cotton, are collected, and published on mailing cards, at frequent intervals, a total of 25 such reports being sent out to large numbers of grow- ers, dealers, and manufacturers in the course of a year. An annual report, in bulletin form, is also issued. The Bureau has in its employ about 750 local special agents who collect the sta- tistics relating to the production of cotton, and its published 29 THE STORY OF THE CENSUS figures are accepted as authoritative by those concerned in the production, handling, and manufacture of this important staple. The cotton ginned from the crop of 1913 amounted to nearly 14,000,000 bales of approximately 500 pounds each (see also diagrams, p. 21, and map, p. 25). A CENSUS CARD (p. 33). B " V B • 38 00+ • S • > 3 4 AUL Oc* FIE ^ i^; s: ArK Knn ST.D. Bga Um e. A ?!>.?. £" ce aiiui M.H. Cim It .»r D. C. Mch H.J, Cbi jbv aa Del Tea N.»t PliL Us H.7. Dou UoxBjiiI i?n MM ^E Ida Mnt □» Dal J' Pol WIfl Ehb It Oeo Su« □or S<3 «... • : • 08 OB 0*. aa Al P> Ua f CA- a IS u • °* lEnm : 1 a 7 1 ° ^ a 14 X 17 99 I . a^3 * BD( It Ft Hot '•" ' " • -'"•^ • IB 'A< : 01 am W.Vn syr KB Bia "" • %"" ira y The person to whom this card refers resided in Maynard, Mass. ; was a son of the head of the family in which he lived; mulatto; 20 years of age; native; single; bom in Georgia; father bom in United States; mother bom in United States; spoke English; was an agricultural laborer; was out of employment on April 15, 1910; was out of employment between 7 and 13 weeks in 1909, could read and write; did not attend school; and was not a veteran of the Civil War. Special inquiries. Occasionally some special inquiry is also made by the Census Bureau at the direction of Congress, the President, or the Secre- tary of Commerce. An important investigation of this nature was that with reference to marriage and divorce, which related to the year 1906 (see diagram, p. 23). The total number of quarto pages contained in the reports of the various inquiries conducted by the Bureau in the course of a decade, not including those embraced in the decennial census, is about 30,000, representing an annual average of about 3,000. The inclusion of the 11,456 pages in the reports of the last de- cennial census makes the aggregate for a decade more than 40,000. The total number of bound and unbound volumes comprised in the reports issued during a decade is not far from 100. In addi- tion to the reports, numerous preliminary bulletins and press notices are issued. A number of tables, diagrams, and maps showing some of the more important facts ascertained at certain of the census inquiries, and indicating in a general way the growth of the 30 THE STORY O F THE CENSUS population and industries of the country, are presented through- out this pamphlet. These tables, diagrams, and maps give some hint of the scope of the Bureau's work, although they do not completely outline it. THE CARD-SORTING MACHINE Cp. 34). But the Bureau does not depend entirely upon the printing press to disseminate the statistics it gathers and compiles. In the course of a year thousands of requests come through the mail from all manner of organizations and individuals for informa- tion on nearly every subject within the range of human knowl- edge. Each such request receives a courteous reply, and when- ever possible the information asked for is furnished. One important feature of the Census Bureau's activities is found in its efforts to secure uniformity and harmony in the sta- tistical work carried on by States and municipaUties, and to bring about coordination of its own work and that of other Fed- eral bureaus. The organization of the Census Bureau in Washington during the period elapsing between the close of the work of one decennial census and the commencement of that upon another comprises a director, a chief clerk, four chief statisticians (one for population, 31 Information furnished by correspondence. Coordination of work. Organization of the Bureau. THE STORY OF THE CENSUS one for manufactures, one for statistics of cities, and one for vital statistics), a geographer, eight expert chiefs of division, a chief mechanician, a small and varying number of expert special agents. THE AUTOMATIC TABULATING MACHINE (p. 34). 540 clerks, 7 machine-shop employees, and 33 subclerical em- ployees (watchmen, messengers, laborers, etc.). In addition to this force there are employed about 750 local special agents to collect statistics of cotton. During a decennial census the office force is augmented by an J2 THE STORY O F THE CENSUS assistant director, a private secretary to the Director, an appoint- ment clerk, a disbursing clerk, a chief statistician, four chiefs of division, and from i,ooo to 3,000 clerks. GROWTH OP ELECTRICAL INDUSTRIES IN THE UNITED STATES : 1890-1912. Street and electric railways. Miles of track Passengers carried Central electric light and power plants. Number of stations Output, kilowatt hours. . Telephones. Miles of wire Number of telephones , . . Calls (estimated) a Telegraphs. '> Miles of wire Number of messages 41,065 9,545,554.66? 5,221 11,532,963,006 20,248,326 8,729,592 13,735.700,000 1,814,196 109,377.698 34,404 7.441,114,508 4,714 5,862,276,737 12,999,369 6,118,578 11,372,600,000 1,577,961 103.794.076 22,577 4,774,211,904 3,620 2,507.051,115 4.900.451 2,371,044 5,070,000,000 1,318,350 90,834,789 8,122 2,023.010,203 1890 \^iami^,7777/, 7^7777,77?77? Z^PZ^.77Wy-y77P77, 7Z^, 'Z^7ZFi7^7Z^, 1810 WZ^,V::7Z^/ y7P7?7, 7}7P7> 7P7^. ^y7;^.7PZ^y7Z ^7^. V^7Z^, 1800 B^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^ \-iw tXy//Af/////X//////C/////X/////A'/////)i//////k/////A'/////)